"Shisui, please introduce yourself to Hokage-sama."
Uchiha Fugaku's calm yet firm voice cut through the silence, prompting Namikaze Minato to shift his gaze toward the young Uchiha Jōnin standing quietly behind his clan leader. The Fourth Hokage offered a faint, almost sheepish smile, tinged with a hint of awkwardness.
With practiced grace, Shisui stepped forward and bowed deeply. "Hokage-sama, I am Uchiha Shisui. Currently, I serve as a squad leader within the Konoha Military Police Force."
Minato scratched the back of his head, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Ah… I've only heard your name before—'Shunshin no Shisui' (Shisui of the Body Flicker)—from battlefield reports. I didn't realize you had joined the Police Force afterward, so…"
He trailed off, but before the awkward silence could linger too long, he exhaled slowly and held up a scroll. "Hoo… wait a moment, both of you."
Unrolling the scroll, Minato swiftly formed a series of hand seals with practiced ease. Chakra pulsed from his fingertips as he placed his hand upon the ground.
"Fūin: Kekkai!" (Seal: Barrier!)
A shimmering, nearly invisible dome of chakra enveloped the group, severing their presence from external sensory detection. Minato straightened and turned back toward the two Uchiha, his expression soft but serious.
"A barrier to block all forms of perception. Given the nature of the enemy's ability—what I referred to earlier as a sort of 'virtualization'—it's possible they could move undetected through the village's standard security. I want to make absolutely sure no one is listening in."
His voice dropped a pitch as his eyes settled on Fugaku, then shifted to Shisui.
"That's why I must ask this directly… Have either of you awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
His question struck like a thrown kunai. A heavy silence settled over the barrier, stretching into a tense few moments that felt like an eternity.
Finally, Fugaku let out a long sigh. His expression was unreadable as he stepped forward, arms crossed behind his back.
"Hokage-sama, to the best of the clan's knowledge, only two Uchiha in history—Uchiha Madara and his younger brother, Uchiha Izuna—have ever awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. To suggest that either Shisui or I might possess such an eye… that is no small compliment."
Minato frowned, his expression clouded by thought. After a few beats, he spoke again, this time more firmly.
"Since becoming Hokage, I've gradually come to understand the layers of mistrust and conflict between the Uchiha and the rest of the village. I know you're cautious, Captain Fugaku, and I respect that. But the enemy I described… it is not the Uchiha clan. Not our Uchiha."
He paused, allowing the gravity of his next words to settle.
"This—this is Konoha's chance. And maybe… it's also the Uchiha clan's last chance. So I ask again, not as your Hokage, but as someone who wants peace—please, tell me the truth. Has either of you awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Another long silence followed, thick with the weight of what was at stake.
Then, a voice quietly broke the stillness.
"Hokage-sama… may I trust you?"
Minato's head snapped toward the voice, his eyes locking onto Shisui. The young Uchiha's gaze was calm but intense. As Minato watched, the tomoe in Shisui's eyes began to spin, slowly fusing together until they formed a pinwheel-shaped pattern—distinct and unmistakable.
Even Fugaku's eyes widened, and Hatake Kakashi, who had been silently observing from behind, stood stunned.
He was so young… and yet he had already paid the emotional price required to awaken such a terrible and powerful eye.
Gain love… and lose it.
The price of the Mangekyō Sharingan was always grief—grief that devoured the soul. Many Uchiha lost themselves to hatred and madness, but others, like Uchiha Shisui before him, grew stronger through compassion.
Minato exhaled slowly. "Yes… you can trust me. I swear it. And in return, I will do everything in my power to ensure that your clan truly becomes part of Konoha, not just by name, but in spirit."
Fugaku opened his mouth as if to speak, but hesitated. Minato turned toward him and continued with a deeper conviction.
"Trust goes both ways. So I'll tell you something only a handful of people in this village know. Tonight, my wife, Kushina, will give birth to our child. That child… is mine. And Kushina—she still carries the Kyūbi within her."
The admission hit like a thunderclap.
Fugaku and Shisui were visibly taken aback. Kushina had shared vague details with Mikoto, Fugaku's wife, but the timing had been tightly guarded.
The history between the Uchiha clan and the Nine-Tails was not forgotten. To share such a secret—especially at a time like this—was a demonstration of absolute trust.
Minato's sincerity was undeniable.
Back in the present timeline, Shisui's Mangekyō would remain a secret to Uchiha until he was driven to reveal it to Uchiha Itachi six years later. By then, the Uchiha clan's rebellion would already be in motion, and his eye's ultimate ability, Kotoamatsukami, would be a desperate, last-ditch effort to delay civil war.
But right now… they still had time.
Fugaku finally bowed his head. "Hokage-sama. We place ourselves in your hands."
Shisui's fists clenched slightly—an involuntary response to the swirl of emotions within. This was no longer about power or clan pride. If Minato truly stood with them, then perhaps… perhaps there was still a path forward. One that didn't end in bloodshed.
Taking a steady breath, Shisui spoke with newfound determination. "Hokage-sama, what would you have me do?"
Minato glanced toward Kakashi, who stepped forward uncertainly. "According to intelligence reports," Minato began, "Kakashi's Sharingan—gifted to him by Obito—has awakened the Mangekyō. But he doesn't yet understand how to control or access its power."
"I need you, Shisui, to help him unlock it."
He paused.
"It's not that I doubt either of you. But our intel suggests that Kakashi's Sharingan is the only ability we have that can counter the enemy's technique. Something they called… Virtualization."
Shisui's brow furrowed slightly.
Minato elaborated, "They can shift part or all of their body into another dimension, effectively becoming intangible. Physical attacks, ninjutsu—even taijutsu—won't connect."
Shisui nodded solemnly. "Understood. And I believe my Mangekyō can help."
Minato raised a brow. "You've mentioned an ability before—something about not requiring direct eye contact?"
Shisui replied calmly, "Yes. My Mangekyō grants me access to a genjutsu called Kotoamatsukami—'God of the Sky.' It allows me to implant thoughts in a person's mind, so subtle they believe those thoughts are their own."
Minato's eyes narrowed. "That's… incredibly powerful."
"But it comes at a cost," Shisui admitted. "The technique requires a massive amount of chakra to maintain, and… it's not something I can use freely, especially not with my left eye. That eye's power was… used up when I first awakened it."
He didn't finish his sentence, but Minato understood. The Fourth Hokage exhaled, visibly relieved.
A genjutsu of that caliber—one capable of rewriting a person's will—would terrify most leaders. But Shisui had chosen to reveal it, to trust the Hokage, and that meant something.
Whether the enemy came tonight, or in the future, they were ready.
…
Meanwhile, on the eastern edge of the Uchiha compound…
The first rays of sunlight crept through the paper screens of the modest household. Uchiha Yun stirred from his futon, the familiar clatter of pots and pans in the kitchen drawing him from his dreams.
For five years now, his mother, Uchiha Hazuki, had started each day before dawn. She never complained, never asked for help. She simply moved forward—for him, and for Izumi.
Yun emerged into the hallway, rubbing his eyes.
"Can you take the afternoon off today?"
Hazuki turned around, a hint of confusion in her tired but cheerful face. "Is something wrong, Yun?"
He shook his head. "No… I just wanted to eat your tempura again. Can you come home early and make it?"
She chuckled and reached out to ruffle his hair—but stopped halfway, remembering he hated that. Her smile softened.
"If Yun wants it, then of course. I'll ask the boss for some time off and go early to the market with Izumi. But make sure you come back early too."
Yun nodded. "I'll be home by noon. I'll tell Teuchi-san at Ichiraku."
After breakfast, Yun headed toward the ramen shop—not to eat, but to hand in his resignation. Too much was happening. There was information to gather, alliances to manage, and secret scrolls that demanded experimentation.
And time was running out.
The Nara compound, the Tatsumi Shelter, even the hills behind the Hokage Monument—they all held pieces of the puzzle.
Uchiha Yun didn't yet know exactly what would unfold tonight.
But he intended to be ready.
*****
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